“Yeah, there are a lot of pros and cons to weigh.” I drummed my fingers on my thigh and tried to look innocent. “Do you think they’ll give me your office if you accept?”
He choked back a laugh. “I knew it. I knew you had ulterior motives for wanting me to take the job. No, my office is off-limits to you.”
“But why?” I slumped in my seat. “I promise not to mix potions in there, and I’ll leave my pigeons at the magic shop. You’re being unreasonable. It’s a nice office,” I grumbled.
“IfI accept, I’m not giving it up. It’s the only way I could keep an eye on you. The second I turn my back, you’ll probably start some sort of mutiny with the other officers. Next thing I know, we’ll have implemented Magic Tuesdays or Bring Your Pigeon to Work Day.”
I scowled. “I said I’d leave the pigeons! Honestly, how I ended up with such a stuffy rule-follower, I’ll never know.”
“It’s called balance, Tessa. We complement each other.”
“Hmm… Sounds to me like a convenient excuse to squash Magic Tuesdays.”
“Did somebody say Magic Tuesdays?” Edward shuffled into the parlor. “That sounds like fun.”
“It would be if Derrick let me have my way. Your grandson is such a stickler for maintaining professional workspaces no matter how hard I try tobalancehim out.” I winked at Derrick and offered Edward my seat. “I think I’ve had enough fun for one day, gentlemen. Edward, I believe you have the next chess game? I’m heading to bed.”
Edward rearranged the chess pieces while Derrick followed me to the door.
“Do you want me to walk you up to your room? The house can be a maze at night.”
“Tempting, but I think I can manage. Stay here with Edward. I know he’s happy to spend some time with you. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Wishing them both good night, I headed for the main staircase. Stifling a yawn, I padded past the small tearoom and turned left at the music room. This hallway looked the same as the last, but I knew if I walked past the billiard room, I’d gone too far.
Maybe I should have had Derrick show me the way?
I laughed to myself, pausing at the next split in the hallway. Left or right? Luckily, I spotted Richard standing down the left side. He’d stopped in the middle of the hall, his focus trained on a small square of paper. He didn’t realize I was there, and I called to him as I approached.
“Richard?”
No answer.
The light played over his grim features, carving sharp lines through his cheekbones. It gave his eyes a hollow look. He muttered something under his breath, still peering at the note.
“Richard, is everything okay?”
Startled, he tensed and quickly slipped the card into the front pocket of his dinner jacket. “Tessa, I didn’t see you there. Yes, everything is fine. Some storm, huh?”
“Yeah, the wind is awful.” There was an awkward silence before I made a face and pointed in either direction down the hall. “I have a confession… I’m a bit lost. Can you point me toward the main staircase?”
His features relaxed, and he leaned closer—almost too close, his liquor-tinted breath expelling in my face. “It’s that way.” Gesturing behind me, his fingers brushed against my waist, and I jolted out of his reach. “Take a right at the end of the hall.”
“Uh, thanks.” I moved before he could draw me into further conversation. It was impossible not to feel his gaze on my back, and I forced myself to contain a little shiver of revulsion.
After I turned the corner, I paused, pressing myself against the wall. I peeked back down the hallway, craning my neck just enough to watch Richard remove the note from his pocket again. He tore it in two. Removing the glass globe over one of the lamps lighting the hallway, he held the pieces over the flame and let them burn before disappearing into a nearby room.
***
Richard’s directions were wrong—or, at least, they weren’t the most direct route. The hallway took me down another long hallway I didn’t recognize. Dark wood paneling with intricate carvings lined the walls, and the weak light barely illuminated the space between them, creating pools of darkness. Beneath my feet ran a carpet made up of red-and-black inlaid diamonds and fleur-des-lis symbols.
I walked swiftly, more lost than I was before, except now, that little tingle of foreboding had developed at the back of my neck, and I couldn’t help but continuously look over my shoulder.
A door creaked. The sound made gooseflesh appear on my arms, and I had the urge to run back the way I came. How would that look? Returning to the parlor and asking Derrick to take me upstairs because I was scared of a door hinge? I’d have to make something up; say I saw a ghost in chains or something.
Up ahead, light bled through the crack of a partially closed door. Creeping closer, I peered inside. Cynthia was bent over a desk, flipping through the pages of a ledger. Behind her were floor to ceiling bookcases filled to the brim and a glass cabinet of liquor. The room smelled faintly of cigars and some unidentifiable spice.
It would have been much easier to keep walking. I was sure I would eventually find the main staircase, but some part of me kept my feet rooted to the floor. We’d had a moment when she was taking care of me after my fall through the ice, and though it was brief, it made me think we could get back there if I made an attempt.
